Table 2.
Key characteristics of motor behavior studies in children with ADHD.
| Author(s) | Design Type | Groups & Ages | Motor Measures | Key Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (D’Anna et al., 2024) | Cross-Sectional | Children in primary school sample with varying ADHD symptoms (n = 2677); ages 5 to 7 years old | Gross motor development scale, evaluating locomotor and ball skills | Worse motor skills were related to higher symptoms of ADHD and higher risk of ADHD diagnosis |
| (Farran et al., 2020) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 43) and without ADHD (n = 34); ages 8 to 15 years old | Measures of fine, gross, and postural stability using standardized tests and motor milestone achievement | 45% of children with ADHD exhibited motor impairment, but it was not related to ADHD symptoms specifically. No evidence of motor delay in infancy |
| (Goulardins et al., 2024) | Cross-Sectional | Children with ADHD (n = 14) and ADHD + DCD (n = 13); ages 7 to 9 years old | Motor assessment battery and motor development milestone scales | Children with DCD+ADHD exhibited the worst motor performance in fine and balance tasks, both groups had pronounced motor delays |
| (Kroes et al., 2002) | Longitudinal | Community sample of children (N = 401); ages 5 to 6 years old at baseline | Motor assessment focused on balance, ball skills, manual dexterity | Balance and fine motor dexterity predicted ADHD symptoms 18 months after baseline |
| (Landgren et al., 2022) | Longitudinal | A community sample enriched with children with DCD/motor difficulties + ADHD (n = 62) and matched NT controls (n = 51); age 9 years old at baseline | Global motor scores from physicians, parents, children, and teachers | Worse neuromotor functioning at 9 years old, in addition to ADHD, predicted significant variance in adult adverse outcomes |
| (Lin et al., 2024) | Cross-Sectional | Community sample (N = 1897) with children at risk for a variety of developmental delays, including ADHD (n = 234), DCD (n = 128), and TD (n = 52); ages 3 to 6 years old | Movement assessment scales that measure fine motor skills | Children with ADHD exhibited poorer fine motor performance compared to TD children, but better performance than other children with developmental delays, such as DCD |
| (Mokobane et al., 2019) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 160) and without (n = 160) ADHD; ages 8 to 12 years old | Grooved pegboard and maze coordination tasks to assess fine motor dexterity | Children with higher ADHD symptoms exhibited worse performance on grooved pegboard than TD controls, particularly combined and inattentive symptoms presenting |
| (Pitcher et al., 2003) | Cross-Sectional | Boys with (n = 104) and without ADHD (n = 39), ADHD + DCD (n = 55); ages 7 to 12 years old | Movement Assessment Battery for Children, grooved pegboard | Children with ADHD performed worse than TD controls in assessments examining movement ability, and ADHD + DCD exhibited worse fine motor skills |
| (Scott et al., 2024) | Cross-Sectional | Elementary school children (N = 202) with 46.5% deemed at-risk for ADHD; ages 4 to 8 years old | Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency to measure fine and gross motor skills | Worse fine motor ability was related to higher risk of ADHD, as well as worse academic achievement |
| (Shoulberg et al., 2024) | Cross-Sectional | Preschoolers with various ADHD symptoms (N = 141); ages 3 to 6 years old | Motor activity via accelerometry at school | Higher levels and less variation of motor activity were related to ADHD hyperactive/impulsive symptoms |
| (Shum & Pang, 2009) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 43) and without (n = 50) ADHD; ages 6 to 12 years old | Sensory organization of standing balance was evaluated | Children with ADHD exhibited worse postural stability, driven by disruption of sensory signals |
| (Tseng et al., 2004) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 42) and without ADHD (n = 42); ages 6 to 11 years old | Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency to assess fine and gross motor skills; parent-report activity | Children with ADHD exhibited worse fine and gross motor skills than controls |
| (Akkaya et al., 2025) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 146) and without (n = 213) ADHD; ages 7 to 17 years old | Functional dexterity test to assess hand skills | Children with ADHD exhibited worse fine motor dexterity compared to controls |
| (Bowler et al., 2024) | Longitudinal | Preschool children from Twins Early Development Study (N = 9625); ages 2, 3, 4; 7–8, 12, and 16 years old | Fine motor assessments of drawing, block building, folding, and questionnaires were assessed at younger ages, neurodevelopmental traits were assessed later | Lower fine motor skills in early childhood predicted higher risk for ADHD later in childhood, as well as educational achievement |
| (Bünger et al., 2021) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 52) and without (n = 52) ADHD; ages 6 to 13 years old | Movement Assessment Battery for Children assessing fine and gross motor skills, as well as DCD symptoms | Children with ADHD exhibited worse fine and gross motor skills and higher levels of DCD symptoms compared to controls |
| (Carames et al., 2022) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 28) and without (n = 11) ADHD; ages 8 to 13 years old | Assessment of visuomotor integration | Children with ADHD exhibited lower visuomotor integration and fine motor control, but not visual perception |
| (Egeland et al., 2012) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 67) and without (n = 67) participated; ages 9 to 16 years old | Visuomotor integration and grooved pegboard/finger tapping for manual dexterity | Children with ADHD exhibited deficits in visuomotor integration and manual dexterity relative to controls |
| (Fenollar-Cortés et al., 2017) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 43) and without (n = 42) ADHD; ages 7 to 14 years old | A variety of standardized tasks assessing fine motor control/dexterity | Children with ADHD performed worse across all fine motor tasks compared to controls, particularly those with higher inattentive symptoms |
| (Klupp et al., 2021) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 46) and without ADHD (n = 139); ages 7 to 13 years old | Movement Assessment Battery for Children to assess fine motor control | Children with ADHD exhibited worse fine motor skills compared to controls |
| (Rosa Neto et al., 2015) | Cross-Sectional | Children with (n = 50) and without (n = 150) ADHD; ages 5 to 10 years old | Standardized assessment for motor development | Children with ADHD exhibit significant delay in motor development compared to controls, particularly in fine motor skills |